In recent years, image capturing apparatuses that record captured images obtained by capturing images of subjects such as persons, such as digital still cameras and camcorders, have been widely used. In addition, with improved image recognition technology, image capturing apparatuses that control image capturing conditions on the basis of recognition results obtained by image recognition to perform image capture have been realized. This can reduce failure caused by recording a captured image.
However, because of diverse preferences of users, a captured image captured with the use of the image recognition technology described above may not necessarily be a user-preferred image.
Accordingly, for example, an image capturing apparatus that displays a list of images captured in accordance with a plurality of image capturing conditions having different exposure conditions to allow a user to select a desired image from among the images displayed in the list and that records the selected image is disclosed (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-152579 (FIG. 5)). In addition, for example, a digital still camera that displays a plurality of alternative images having different exposure settings and that records an image selected by a user from among the alternative images is disclosed (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-336790 (FIG. 2)).
Since the technology described above allows a user to select a desired image from among a plurality of images being displayed before recording an image during the image capture operation, a user-preferred image selected by the user can be recorded. However, for example, it is supposed that it is difficult for a less experienced user to select an appropriate image from among a plurality of images being displayed for a short period of time during the image capture operation. In this case, there is a risk that a user-preferred captured image cannot be recorded. In addition, in a case where a user selects a wrong image, an image desired by the user cannot be recorded.
Accordingly, bracketing capture is conceived as a method for recording a user-preferred captured image. This bracketing capture is a technique for capturing a plurality of successive images while changing an image capturing condition such as the exposure value. For example, a digital still camera that sets a plurality of exposure values, that performs bracketing capture in accordance with these exposure values, and that displays an image captured in accordance with a reference exposure value as a representative image is disclosed (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-285779 (FIG. 7)).
In the related art described above, a plurality of images generated by bracketing capture are recorded on a recording medium. In addition, in a case where the individual images recorded on the recording medium are displayed in a list, a representative image is displayed for images recorded by bracketing capture. This can prevent a plurality of images including the same subject, which has been recorded by bracketing capture, from being displayed so as to overlap each other when individual images recorded on the recording medium are displayed in a list. In addition, by selecting a representative image being displayed in a list display screen, individual images included in an image group to which the selected representative image belongs can be displayed. Thus, a desired image can be viewed from among the plurality of images recorded by bracketing capture.
However, it is also conceived that a representative image displayed in a case where individual images recorded on the recording medium are displayed in a list is not a user-preferred image. In this manner, in a case where a representative image is not a user-preferred image, in order to view a desired image from among a plurality of images generated by bracketing capture, it is necessary to select a representative image being displayed in the list and to display individual images included in an image group corresponding to this representative image. Therefore, for example, in a case where user-preferred images are to be sequentially displayed for individual image groups in a case where a large number of images generated by bracketing capture have been recorded, this display operation may be bothersome.
The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and it is an object thereof to facilitate easy display of a user-preferred image for a plurality of images generated by bracketing capture.